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This year, four courses will be utilised for the first time in the history, in an effort to cut down on the time drivers and crew must wait in line in an effort to make a record run.

There will be one long course for the fastest vehicles, one combination course for long and short runs, a short course and a mini course that will be used for the smallest, slower vehicles, including 50cc motorcycles, reports the Salt Lake Tribune.

Vintage: Kevin Brooks pushes his BMW motorcycle to be inspected during the first day of the event

The Bonneville Salt Flats, a massive former salt lake stretching over some 30,000 acres near the Utah-Nevada border, is opened each summer for the races by The Bureau of Land Management.

All cars must qualify to run on the long course by first demonstrating the ability to run over 175mph on the short course. Then they 'step up their license' in 25 mph increments.

Each car runs alone on the race course, competing only against the speed clock. With no side-by-side competition, cars go into the staging lanes and starting line in random order. When a competitor feels they are ready, they simply get in line.

Motorists compete in dozens of classes. Speed calculated on an initial run must be or repeated with a second run at 7am the following day, through August 19, when the event ends.

In the early days of the runs, there were as many as 200 cars in the staging lanes, meaning waits of up to four hours. But as cars drop out over the week, the waits are much shorter.

Please, can I go! Scout jumps on her owner, Jim Mosher's legs, as Mr Mosher's motorcycle is inspected

Tinkering: Bob Jackson works on his modified roadster

Safety: Race inspectors look over the Spirit of the Lakes' modified race car

According to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, which maintains official land speed records, the current absolute holder of the World Land Speed Record is ThrustSSC, a twin turbofan jet-powered car which achieved 763.035 mph - 1227.985 km/h - over one mile in October 1997. This was the first supersonic record as it broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.016.

Other famous holders of the World Land Speed Record include: Thrust II driven by Richard Noble, achieved a best speed of 633.468mph in 1983; Sprit of America driven by Craig Breedlove, achieved a best speed of 600.601mph in 1965; Blue Bird driven by Malcolm Campbell, achieved a best speed of 301.129mph in 1935; Golden Arrow driven by Henry Segrave, achieved a best speed of 231.36mph in 1929.

Records up to 1935 were predominately set on beaches before Bonneville Salt Flats in America became the preferred venue for attempts and was home of nearly all World Land Speed Records set between 1935 and 1970.

The current World Record was set at Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada.

Easy living: Andy Kalikakis (left) and Dale Jolley watch the races from the seat of a 1929 Ford Roadster

Streamliner pilots Charles Nearburg of Dallas and George Poteet of Collierville, Tennessee are expected to be the fastest team.

A Utah team led by veteran Salt Flats competitor Terry Nish is also expected to do well.

'And what do they win?' Roy Fields, who will be racing his own fuel-modified roadster, asked.

'Absolutely nothing.

'They get their name on a record until the next guy goes a little faster. It's the last form of motor sport still considered truly amateur. There are no sponsorships and no money to gain... and I hope there never is,' he said.'